Book Review – “Dismantling America” by Thomas Sowell

I recently read Thomas Sowell’s “Dismantling America.”  This is the first book I’ve read by him, but I do read his columns as I’m able.  The book is a collection of some of Sowell’s syndicated columns during (mostly) the early years of the Obama presidency.  Each column is about three pages, which is nice because I can think of a column as a chapter and I like short chapters.  Note there were some multi-columns series, which made for a good change of pace, as well.

It’s a tough book to review because what you think of the book depends almost entirely on what you think of his columns.  If you like his columns, you’ll like the book.  If you hate his columns, you’ll hate the book.  It’s really that simple. 

Personally, I like his content and style.  I don’t always agree with the content and I do spot logical flaws from time to time, but on the whole, I think Sowell is one of the best mainstream, right-leaning columnists out there. 

The book explores economic, social, cultural, historical, and legal matters.  It also explores politics from both tactical and strategic perspectives, as well as taking a look at the reality behind the rhetoric.  There are a lot of great columns here.  The economic section is particularly strong, which makes sense given Sowell’s background as an economist. 

Beyond the “typical” right-wing line of thinking, there are some key takeaways.  Whether I/you agree/disagree with them is out of scope here.  I’m just highlighting them.

1.     There is no free lunch.  Said another way, the transfer of cost from one party to another is not the same as the elimination of cost.  Transferring cost from party A to party B does eliminate it from A’s expenses, but it does not eliminate it from the overall system.

2.    America has the best medical care system in the world.  This is not to be confused with healthcare.  Medical care starts upon arrival at the doctor/hospital, but healthcare includes lifestyle considerations.  Thus, the medical care system has very limited control over our overall healthcare.   

3.    There is a difference between attempting to “level the playing field” and equalize results. 

4.    The notion of “fairness” sounds easy and concrete at first glance, but it entails far more than meets the eye.

I think this book would be a better read for left-leaning people, to be honest.  It’s a relatively quick read that forces them to actually sit down and take in the arguments of the right versus ignoring and/or reflexively denying them based on source.  Similarly, people of a more neutral political orientation would benefit by reading this book because they would see the right-wing argument presented by a right-winger.  Right-leaning folks would gain out of it, as well, even if only to sharpen their positions.  I don’t know of an equivalent book by a left-leaning columnist on Sowell’s level, but if I did, I’d pick it up.

Note that this doesn’t automatically mean that someone on the left/right is always correct/wrong on an issue because sometimes both can be correct and sometimes both can be wrong, so don’t fall into that logical trap. 

So, the bottom line is it’s a worthwhile read.